Kagoshima/Sakurajima - 鹿児島/桜島

The Island of Cherry blossom (Sakurajima - 桜島) and the Kagoshima, where constantly ash from two volcanoes precipitate, were our next targets on our rout for day number two.

Kagoshima and Sakurajima. My GPS track stopped by the time we left the Island. GPS tracking is rather battery consuming.

When we arrived in Kagoshima it was time for lunch and of course my Japanese follows have long discussed in the car what to eat. Do you see the detour towards the south of the city on the map? That is were a famous Ramen (Japanese noodles soup) restaurant is. I have to admit, that it was one of my first noodle soup experience were I left the restaurant and had to say honestly this was really really good! Don't get me wrong! Most things are very good in Japan and there is hardly any dish I dislike, but this was just really tasty, especially as I'm not a big noodle soup fan.

We quickly checked in our luggage and the hostel we were planning staying in (close to the harbour) and were off to catch a ferry to Sakurajima. I don't want to write too much about it, as I visited the Island for the first time end of September last year and wrote about it; but two of us haven't been there!

Always smoking from the caldera - Sakurajima.

So what was different this time? Well first of all there was no Taifun coming and the weather was just great. We enjoyed ourself at the park, close to Sakurajima ferry port, and since it was still quite chilly we relaxed our feet in a hot onsen bath.

Onsen (Hot spring) foot bath!

As I was a bit hungry we ate some Mandarins (Mikan) from the Island and Ice cream made from these Mandarins, which was really refreshing. While we were strolling over the Island and gave the visitor centre a brief visit to check some facts on the Island, we also got a chance to discover our first Cherry Blossom this year.

First cherry blossom on the Island!

 After a beautiful sunset over Kagoshima, which we could follow from a dinosaur park on Sakurajima, we went back by boat. On our way back we found out that there is a cheap "romantic view spot" bus that brings us up the mountains of Kagoshima to see the city. It was indeed a good opportunity to discover something new in the city and a nice lady was talking during the ride about sights we could spot. After we were back in the hostel we quickly changed and were off to a Sentou (public bath) before jumping in our beds after a sec. round of Wizard.

Next stop was Kumamoto and Aso National Park.

Sunset over Kagoshima.

Kyushu trip - Kirishima 九州旅 － 霧島

From the first of March (Friday) until Tuesday the 5th of March I went on trip to Kyushu with my fiancée and two very good Japanese friends.

GPS tracking of our first two days. (1) Our hotel, (2) Shinto Shrine, (3) mountain museum. The smoke from Sakurajima is visible too!

It was a kind of trip I haven't done before in Japan.  In order to travel as cheap as possible to Kagoshima, I booked a bus to Kansai Int. Airport close to Osaka (~ 4.000 Yen) and met the other three there who came from Kanazawa. We flew with a flight from Peach Union to Kagoshima and arrived at the airport after about one hour flight at 1 p.m. (~8.000 Yen). 

Right after we landed, we borrowed a car and drove in direction of Kirishima (霧島). It was raining like hell, but we didn't care at all. It was just great to be outside, in spring Kyushu, with lots and lots of Onsen waiting for us. 

Short stop in rain on the way to Kirishima

Since Kirishima means literally "Island of fog", I was indeed expecting an Island, but instead we drove higher and higher into the mountains and vanished in the fog. I should have done my homework before and read more about where we are going, but I have to admit than my part of the travel organisation goes towards zero.

So much smelly fog!

This fog was partly made of clouds and partly from steam, rising from the numerous hotsprings. It smelled wonderful like sulphur when we arrived in the little town of Kirishima (霧島). We tried some local products, such as sulphuric steamed eggs (intensified), sausages or (of course) sweet potatoes, since the old district of Satsuma is famous for these.

Rain can be pretty positive when you visit a waterfall, because it will have much more water!

Sulphur steamed eggs. Taste still like normal eggs, just look yellow after you've peeled them.

After a short hike in the hills around the city and a short stop at a waterfall, we checked in our hotel-like Ryokan (a Ryokan is a traditional Japanese guest house), where we were really happy to put all our luggage down in our Tatami room. It felt like on a school trip, as we four were going to sleep on the ground in Futons in one room, looking forward to playing cards before falling asleep.

First room, first night!

After the check-in we made a brief stop in one of the big shrines (Shintoism) in Kirishima. It was an amazingly huge ground, devoted to at least three goddess. Among them "Tengu", a long nosed daemon-like creature with incredible sword skills. Apparently it taught sword fighting to Miyamoto Musashi. I talked a lot with Bito-san about Bushido and it's origin and he recommended the book "Bushido" from Nitobe Inazo, which I'm currently reading. You can download it for free from the Gutenberg-Projekt homepage.

Kirishima Jinsha, entrance stone!

The shrine and rain! Was still very pretty to look at!

Overall, I was confronted with so many unconnected historical facts (for me, as uneducated being) during our travel that I decided to study much more about Japanese history and especially about the time before, during and after the Meiji-Restauration, as well as about the history of Christanity in Japan, as soon as I'm back in Okayama. Kyushu was a main base for the first Christians in Japan, which got later extinct during a revolt. But more about this later.

We spent the evening in the Ryokan with its three building and confusing floor numbering, as the building had different elevations and hence the floor number changed according to the buildings basement. (Sorry I forgot to take a picture). We had a great Japanese dinner, green tea in our room, a table tennis match, and two hot bathes in the hotel Onsen.

Furthermore I was able to motivate three new player for the game wizard (^.^)/.

Dinner! There was still soup, rice and some extra meat served.

 The next day we left early in the morning. The sun was shining and we decided to visit a museum in the mountains, almost 800 m above sea level, before going to Kagoshima. The museum offered some interesting but also quite disturbing art, but we enjoyed much more the outside area with its sculptures.

View from the museum.

No one really wanted to go there on Saturday morning, as it seems!

Race to the ring! Who do you think has lost?

Three friends finished their Bachelor degree!

From there we drove down to Kagoshima to visit Sakurajima and the city itself. 

More about this next time!

Kagoshima/鹿児島

I was just three days back from Canada, when I already had to leave for another Conference to Kagoshima.

カナダから帰った3日の後で、次の鹿児島大学にある学会に参加した。

Kagoshima is a town in the south of Kyushu, which lays most south of the 4 main Islands of Japan.

鹿児島は日本の本島に関して一番南の九州にある一番南の町です。

I was really looking forward, because Machi came with me and Kyushu is very famous for it's hot springs. I love a bath in a Japanese hot spring the most. It's certainly my favorite Japanese cultural good.

九州は温泉でとても有名で、満知も一緒に鹿児島に行ったので、すごく楽しんだ！　僕にとって温泉は日本の最高な文品だ！

We arrived on Thursday noon, but on Thursday I had to attend the conference at the University of Kagoshima.

木曜日の昼ぐらい新幹線で着いたけど、僕はすぐ学会を参加しないといけなかった。

Since a Taifun was approaching Japan and was supposed to arrive on Saturday in Kagoshima we used the Friday to visit the volcanic Island of Sakurajima, east of Kagoshima.

台風の１７番目は日本に向かって、土曜日ぐらい鹿児島に着くらしかったので、金曜日の素晴らしい天気を使って、鹿児島から東の方にある桜島に行った。

We walked to the ferry port and stopped at the Statue of xxx

フェリー港へ歩いた時に、　xの像の所で止まった。

Funny little creatures gathered around the statue.

変なクリーチャーは像の回りにいたよ！

The ferry to Sakurajima was very cheap: only 150 yen – one way.

桜島に乗るフェリーめっちゃ安かった。片道切符は１５０円だけだった。

The Island is highly volcanic active, since the Island is actually a volcano.

桜島は火山だから、とても火山活動的な島だ。

The geology of the Island was amazing.

桜島のジオロジーは面白かった。

First we learned some things about the history of the Island in the Information center and logged at the same time our first Geo-Geocache. People lived on Sakurajima because the soil was fertile and they could grow the biggest reddish in the world!

最初に観光案内所で桜島の歴史について学んでと同時に満知と僕にジオジオカシューを始めてロクした。

Last year the volcano erupted 1355 times and when we arrived it had already erupted 910 times this year. The seismographs didn't show any movement of the ground when we stood in the information center. The volcano seemed to sleep today.

去年に桜島の火山は１３５５回噴火して、着いたと時に今年にはもう９１０回噴火した。　観光案内所にいた時に、地震計は全然動かなかって、今日には火山が眠そうだった。

We decided to have lunch in a small restaurant and take a tour bus around the Island to get closer to the smoking crater. Later we wanted to visit the hot spring of the Island.

昼ご飯を小さいレストランで食べて、火山を近い所から見えるようになるためにバスで櫻島の回り乗ることにした。　あとで、温泉に行きたかった。

I had Natto-Don. Basically something I have a lot for lunch in University, but my own creation is much simpler. Without the raw fish, the onions or potato. Basically only rice and Natto.
僕は納豆どんを食べた。一般的に岡山大学でよく自分で作った納豆どんを食べているけど、僕の納豆どんの方が簡単です。　刺し身、葱、と芋入れてない。　基本的に、ご飯と納豆さえ使えば、僕の納豆どんを作るよ。

The bus stops at many points on the Island, such at some art that was made from the numerous stones laying around.
バスは色々な所で止まった。例えば、桜島の火山石からできた美実のところで。

The moment we arrived at the closest point to crater the volcano erupted. It was my first eruption to see and I was just amazed by the black smoke rising into the air. The ground wasn't shaking and no magma was spilling out of the crater though, it was still beautiful to see.

火山から一番近い場所に着いたばかり、火山は噴火した。初めて噴火を見たことがないので、ゆっくり空のほうへあがってる真っ黒い曇を感心した。地震なくって、岩礁が見えなかったけど、とても綺麗だった。

From the view point we could also see Kagoshima, which was very close to the Island.

観測所から、鹿児島は桜島からとても近いことかすぐ分かった。

The hot spring water was quite salty, since it was very close to the see. Refreshed Machi and I left back to Kagoshima.

桜島温泉は浜にあるので、温泉水はけっこう塩水の味がした。　満智と僕は元気になって、鹿児島に戻った。

One really unique thing in Kagoshima is the always present volcanic ash in the city. It covers just everything. People collect the ash in bags and leave them at the street so that they can get picked up.

鹿児島の名物はいつもあるの火山灰のことだ。　本当にどこでもあるよ。　鹿児島人は火山灰を集めて、ゴミバッグに入れて、清掃夫はそのバグを取りまとめる。

The Taifun number 17 turned slightly to the east and missed Kagoshima. It was still rainy on Saturday though. We wanted to try a hot Sand-bath in a village that was about an one hour train ride in the south of Kagoshima, Ibutsuki.

台風の１７番目は土曜日にちょっと東のほうに曲がって、鹿児島に会ってなかったけど、一日雨が降っていたので、暖かい砂のお風呂に入るために、イブツキって言うの村に電車で乗って行った。

At a museum I talked to people who grilled some “Knüppelteig”, a kind of bread we use to make in Germany at one fires. They also offered us a red sweet potato, pizza and the bread. Those people were amazingly kind to us and we were happy to get some Haribo with us; just something we could give them in return.
イブツキの美術館でドイツのパンを焼いてる人と話した。　僕らに薩摩芋、ピザとパンをあげた。　本当に優しかった。よかったら、僕らはドイツのハリボも持って行って、美実間の人にあげた。

The sand bath was great and really heated our bodies up. As lunch we had in groundwater boiled eggs with a special Kagoshima-Don.
暖かい砂はとても素晴らしくて、僕らの身体に温められた。　昼食の時には地下水で茹でた卵どんを食べた。

Before we left Kagoshima the next day, we found a German bakery. They sold some things you can indeed get in Germany and I ate my first Mohnbrötchen since I had left Germany in March!!!

岡山に戻る前に、ドイツのパン屋さんを見つけた。　そのパン屋さんは本当のドイツのパン屋さんの焼き物を売れる。ドイツから日本に行った時から、メッチャ美味しいパンを食べてなかった。

If you ever happen to go to Kagoshima, make sure to enjoy the numerous Onsen in the city and around the town.

鹿児島に行くなら、絶対色々な鹿児島の温泉を楽しんでください！

Taking a Rest in Hidaka

our ride to Joes house!

It was finally Thursday morning when I woke up at 6 and left my house at around 7 to bike with Machis bicycle that she had left at my place to the train station where I met Machi and Noriko half an hour later.

We were invited from Joe, a friend of us, to stay in his families house for one night in the mountainous area of the state Hyogo. Hyogo is north-east of Okayama and you have to cross it on your way to Osaka or Kobe. I have never been at another place then Himeji, where an old castle watches over the city, and was really looking forward to spend two quite days in the country side with three wonderful friends. We arrived before 11 and helped the family to get everything ready for little feast Joes family was going to give for some of their friends. We were amazed how huge the property of the family was. Joes Dad bought the old house about ten years ago. At that time it was pretty wore down and broken and he spent much time and money into it to rebuild and modernise it step by step. Joe gave us a tour around and it was just impossible not to get lost with all those rooms and gang ways.

With Noriko and Machi on the Way to Hyogo - while both wee talking in the front I enjoyed a small pick-nick in the back (^.^)

2nd floor of the house! Joe gave us a tour around.

This is the old emblem of the former family, a たじばな (Tajibana)

Outer-Inner gang way. Traditionally are the room in the centre of the house and a gang way leads around the house, whereas the gang way in European houses often connects rooms in the centre of the house.

Friday morning and the girls are still in bed, while Joe prepared breakfast!

Lock of the front door!

Old Japanese way to drain the rain down from the roof. Who wants a pipe when you can drip-drop the water down in that way?!

We took lunch under the maple trees in the garden. Joe and his brother had planted these trees about 10 years ago from little plants they took from the forest in the mountains. I tried to imagine how inflamed the garden must look like in autumn! Joe and his brother made BBQ, while we and the other guests sat at the table, enjoyed the delicious food and talked with each other while drinking a glass of wine. Vernon from California and an artist couple were besides Machi and Noriko my main conversation partners. I was amazed that Vernon, who must have been above 80, came to Japan when he was 23 (like me when I came first here). The difference is that he came as American soldier in 1952 and just stayed here since that time! He saw Kyoto and Osaka and all other cities grew up and Japan rise from ashes to what it is now. While listening to his stories I was wondering if I might be one day like him - sitting in a garden somewhere in Japan and talking about my past 60 years that I have spent in this country...

The artist couple sat right next to me and I enjoyed their natural and joyful atmosphere. Besides this, I was astonished that he could drink more than 5 glasses of wine without getting drunk - it's rather rare to see that in Japan. They both invited us to their gallery for the next day. After the cleaning, cake, sweets, tea and saying farewell to the guests, Joe, Noriko, Machi and I finally left to something I was looking all the time forward to as well.

From left to right: Noriko, Joe, and Machi

Kanpai (かんぱい) and thank you for the party family Bito

We drove to a close city, which is famous for Onsen (hot spring) and wanted to take a long bath. I really do love Onsen and probably have spoken already a lot about this kind of the Japanese culture: you basically get naked and man and woman go in separated areas in a pool of hot groundwater! It was golden week and so many people stayed in the traditional hotels in the village, spending their time with shopping, hiking and taking hot bathes in the evening. We found an old style Onsen and I negotiated hard with Noriko to let me at least take a bath for one hour. That was definitive enough to get completely soak in the water which was pretty salty.

The Onsen we have chosen!

Relaxed, tired and after one ice cream did we drive home and played a bit of cards before sneaking into our futons. Machi really wanted to talk with us, while laying in the beds, since the whole scenery had something of camping: rain was falling outside and knocked at the window and roof; no one was around except us four in this big and dark house. But Joe and I just did lay there with our eyes closed and Noriko gave in soon as well so that Machi gave up and fell asleep.

The next morning we only had a quick breakfast and coffee before driving to a stork conservation area close to the place where we stayed. Besides storks you could also see all kinds of insects and other animals of the area.

Part of the butterfly collection you could see in the museum.

Machi was quite amazed by those bugs (~.~)

From there we brought Joe back to the "real" house of the family, where he grew up and drove to the gallery of the artist couple. He already expected us and two other visitors where also guests in the cute wooden house. I liked the place immediately. Carved wood and pieces of art everywhere. A homey atmosphere and a fire burning in the chimney. We were invited for lunch which was really delicious (Machi was wondering before where we could eat something before we drive back to Okayama). I told him that I'm looking since two years for a place where I can buy a hand carved wooden rice bowl, as I would like to have one for my daily meals. He gave me an address of an artist he knows in Okayama where Noriko, Machi and I definitely want to go before this summer!

Noriko and Machi enjoy the chimney in the house of the artist couple!